Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1518324
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 MARCH 2024 Survey numbers are umpteenth wakeup call for PN Editorial THE MaltaToday March survey shows that the Labour Party has managed to stop the haemorrhage of votes it has been experiencing over the past few months. The survey confirms that most of those who deserted the PL and camped in the 'no vote party', are still more inclined to shift back to Labour then cast their vote for the Nationalist Party. The findings clearly show that people may be angry with the government for various reasons but still believe the PL is best-placed to address their concerns and grievances. This is even more significant in a context of mid-term elections where voters could otherwise punish the gov- ernment without risking a change in government. These voters still cannot make a leap of fate to the other side. The findings show that the PL saw its share of the vote increase to 52.8% from 47.9% in February, while the PN's share only grew marginally to 42.6% from 41%. The current 10-point gap translates into a margin of 28,700 votes, up from 15,400 in February. A long-term view of polling numbers shows that the PN's share of the vote has hardly moved and any fluc- tuations in the gap between the parties was due to La- bour voters switching off rather than switching over. The two critical issues we believe have energised vot- ers to return back to the Labour fold are the Joseph Muscat factor and the government's action to address food inflation through the Stabbiltà scheme. Undoubtedly, the excitement around a possible Mus- cat candidature for the European Parliament election has rekindled nostalgia for 'the best of times'. Irrespective of how bad this leader believes a Muscat candidature could be for the party and the country – the reputational risk is too big – it is clear that people still credit the former prime minister for the good done by the Labour administration and are willing to show their appreciation. It still has to be seen whether this excitement will re- main even if Muscat does not contest the election but at this stage, it appears that even a mere incursion into the political field was enough to stimulate the Labour vote. The second factor that could explain the result is the government's action to stabilise the prices of 15 cat- egories of basic foods and the downward impact this has had on inflation, which was confirmed by data published by the National Statistics Office. The move gave people peace of mind that the govern- ment is listening to their concerns and coupled with the COLA wage increase and the various social benefit increases that had been announced in the budget the squeeze on people's pockets has been partially relieved. In these circumstances, voters still believe the Labour Party is the best option with all its warts and defects. This result should have strategists at PN headquar- ters scratching their head. The PN is a very big minor- ity party and it has been so since 2003 – the PN only won the 2008 general election with a relative majority and a mere 1,700-vote difference. Unless the PN is able to reach beyond its own cohort of voters it will remain a big party but not big enough to govern. Any positive news the PN may have reaped in the past months from polling data was always relative because its 'success' depended on Labour's misfortunes. Sur- veys show that people are still unable to trust the PN as an alternative government and thus more inclined to abstain if they are pissed off rather than vote for it. The reasons for this are manifold. In an interview appearing today, veteran PN MP Carm Mifsud Bon- nici puts his finger on one of the problems – the PN's factionalism and the acrimony that was created by the removal of Adrian Delia. Disunity does very little to convince people the party can be trusted with running the country. There are other problems of an ideological nature with the PN seemingly unable to present a coherent centre-right vision for a modern country that has been through a lot of social change over the past decade. It remains conflicted between its ultra-conservative grassroots and the increasingly less visible liberal wing that understands the importance of allowing individ- uals the liberty to determine their own choices and lifestyles. There are problems of strategy. The party keeps fall- ing into the trap of focussing too much energy on the ills of its opponent rather than push forward its own alternative vision and ideals. The party also has to put distance between itself and satellite organisations and individual bloggers, who in public perception are associated with the PN but are outside its control. If comments made by these peo- ple and groups – which they are entirely entitled to – are being used by detractors to lash out at the PN, the party must find ways and means of disassociating itself from them. There is also the problem of the leader. With all his good intentions, Bernard Grech has been unable to muster public sympathy – his trust ratings have re- mained miserable. He lacks a narrative and a vision that can inspire the diverse views within the party to work towards a common goal. His persona is not big enough to bring back the lost sheep while still making it clear who is in command. He simply cannot excite people and after being trounced in the 2022 general election he is perceived as a care taker leader who is filling a vacuum rather than an aspiring prime minis- ter. The party needs to carry out a soul-searching exer- cise in a bid to reconstitute itself into a modern cen- tre-right party that looks at its past for inspiration and learning but is not shackled by it. Today's survey is the umpteenth wakeup call for the PN. Quote of the Week "The basis of the aviation fuel tax is just and we must reduce emissions… whoever uses private jets should be paying this tax… while Maltese commercial flying and cargo transport should be exempt." Independent MEP election candidate Arnold Cassola telling an audience of business leaders at a Chamber of Commerce event that the burden of the EU's aviation tax should be shouldered by private jet users not common citizens. MaltaToday 10 years ago 22 March 2014 State moves in to take control of local wardens THE running of Malta's local enforcement sys- tem has become too costly to keep up with the expectations of the two private companies which provide Malta's and Gozo's 44 local councils with wardens, CCTV cam- eras, and speed cameras, and the only way it can survive is to issue more tickets and col- lect more fines. But Labour seems to be living up to a warn- ing sounded by Joseph Muscat in 2011 that the "sub- sidised racket" of local enforcement would longer be tolerated under a new govern- ment. "Yesterday, parliamentary secretary for local government José Herrera unveiled plans for a new centralised unit to take over the manning of local wardens. Herrera has pledged a 30% reduction in costs - a reduction that industry insiders de- duce can only be achieved by cutting out the private sector. But the parliamentary secretary said that today's system was built on the misleading as- sumption that it should make money for local councils when in reality, uncollected fines and a decline in contraventions and speed- ing offences being committed, has rendered the system unsustainble to run. Herrera's solution will be to turn the LES in- to a national unit of wardens serving councils, rather than the private operators taking over 70% of the total fines issued over the years. Labour taking on 'subsidised racket Malta's local warden system is in the pro- cess of being reformed, 14 years after it was first introduced – but the jury is out on what government's plans for a centralised unit means for people like Kenneth De Martino, whose Guard & Warden Service runs the gamut of local enforcement services, deploy- ing wardens to the coun- cils, monitoring CCTV systems and also processing speed camera fines. ...